North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park, large wilderness area in northwestern Washington, U.S. The park was established in 1968 to preserve majestic mountain scenery, snowfields, glaciers, alpine meadows, cascading waterfalls, and other unique natural features in the North Cascade Range. The region is frequently called the North American Alps.

The park consists of two sections, called units. The north unit extends to the Canadian border, and the south unit stretches southeastward until it abuts Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, which includes the area surrounding the northernmost portion of the fjordlike Lake Chelan. Situated between the two park units is Ross Lake National Recreation Area, a roughly L-shaped region that encompasses Ross Lake (the impounded waters of the, at that point south-flowing, Skagit River) and adjacent lands that lie south of the Canadian border on the eastern side of the north unit and a further portion of the river valley (including the impounded Diablo and Gorge lakes) as the Skagit turns and flows southwestward between the two units.

The park and the two recreation areas are administered collectively by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) as the North Cascades National Park Service Complex (also called the North Cascades National Park Complex). The entire complex has an area of about 1,070 square miles (2,771 square km): the national park covers 789 square miles (2,043 square km), and the two recreation areas collectively occupy an additional 281 square miles (728 square km). Headquarters are in Sedro-Woolley, about 55 miles (90 km) west of the park complex’s visitor’s centre at Newhalem.

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Natural history

The park complex occupies a significant portion of the North Cascade Range. Its steep and rugged mountains are formed of durable granites and related rocks, and the tallest peaks have elevations mostly between 7,000 and 9,000 feet (2,130 and 2,740 metres). The park’s high point is on Goode Mountain in the centre of the south unit, which reaches 9,206 feet (2,806 metres); the highest peak in the north unit is Mount Shuksan in the west, at 9,131 feet (2,783 metres).

Some 300 glaciers and a great many snowfields are found on the mountain slopes. However, most of those have diminished in size since the late 19th century, and a handful have disappeared completely. The pace of the reduction has been increasing, probably as a result of climate change. Hundreds of streams, lakes, and ponds are fed by those glaciers and snowfields. Most are within the Skagit River drainage system, but those in the south flow into the Stehekin River, which empties into Lake Chelan.

Climate patterns in the park-complex region can vary greatly, depending on location. The Cascades constitute a climatic barrier to the prevailing moist weather systems moving eastward from the Pacific Ocean. As a result, conditions tend to be wetter in the northwestern and central areas than in the southeast. Diablo Dam on the Skagit River, in the east-centre part of the region, receives some 75 inches (1,900 mm) of precipitation annually, while roughly half that amount falls at Stehekin at the north end of Lake Chelan. In addition, temperatures are somewhat milder at lower elevations in the northwest-central area than in the southeast. Summertime highs in July and August average in the upper 70s F (about 25 °C) at Diablo Dam and in the low to mid-80s (about 28 °C) at Stehekin, and lows average about 4 °F (2.2 °C) higher at Diablo Dam than at Stehekin through the winter months. Elevation significantly affects both temperatures and precipitation levels, with temperatures falling and precipitation levels generally rising as height increases. Large quantities of snow fall in winter, especially at higher elevations, and snow can persist from late autumn to well into spring in most parts of the complex and even in summer at the highest elevations.

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The highly varied topography and climate patterns in the park complex have produced a wide variety of ecological niches, which have been filled by a vast array of vegetation types. Among the more than 1,600 vascular plant species identified there are the dominant hemlocks and Pacific silver firs in the forests on the western mountain slopes, stands of giant and ancient western red cedars in the lower valleys (notably in the north unit near Ross Lake), and the broad-leaved trees—such as cottonwoods and other poplars, alders, and willows—that are found interspersed with the conifers and along streams. The drier eastern slopes of the mountains support drought-resistant trees, including Douglas firs and other firs and pines. Ferns grow in profusion in most mountain habitats, as do flowering plants such as heather, campions, and daisies, which can be found blooming from deep mountain valleys to high alpine meadows. Hundreds of mushroom species thrive in the moist woodland areas, and lichens range from the lowland forests to otherwise bare rock on the tops of the highest peaks.

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Wildlife in the North Cascades also exhibits a high level of diversity and abundance. Mammals include mule deer and the related black-tailed deer; black bears; a wide variety of rodents, including marmots, squirrels, and pikas; and several bat species. Less-common ungulates include elk and mountain goats, and colonies of beavers live in wetland areas in the eastern and northwestern parts of the north unit. There are occasional sightings of gray wolves, pumas (mountain lions), brown (grizzly) bears, lynx, and bobcats.

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More than 200 species of birds have been identified in the park-complex region. Many, such as Steller’s jays, American dippers, common mergansers, and red-breasted nuthatches, are year-round residents, but about half of the species, including hummingbirds and a wide array of songbirds, breed in the region in summer or pass through it in spring and autumn on their way to and from summer breeding grounds farther north. Of note is a large population of bald eagles that winter along the Skagit River to hunt spawning salmon. Other fish include anadromous (oceangoing) trout species and freshwater trout introduced into mountain lakes and streams. A variety of amphibians, notably Pacific giant salamanders, inhabit the region’s wetland areas, and reptiles include painted turtles and several species of snakes.

The contemporary park

The remote and rugged landscape of the North Cascades long minimized the human impact in the region. There was some mineral prospecting and logging activity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1905 the area became part of the federal government’s national forest system, which managed the land for multiple uses (e.g., resource exploitation and recreation). Also at about that time, conservation groups began calling for greater protection of the North Cascades region, moves that were opposed by those who favoured retaining multiple uses of the land. The debate raged for several decades and became more heated in the mid-1960s as the decision on whether or not to establish a national park was being weighed. The views of conservationists ultimately prevailed, and the law authorizing the park and two recreation areas was enacted in 1968.

The North Cascades park complex is surrounded in Washington state by portions of Okanogan (east and southeast), Wenatchee (south and southwest) and Mount Baker–Snoqualmie (west) national forests, and in British Columbia it borders (west to east, respectively) Chilliwack Lake, Skagit Valley, and Manning provincial parks. The bulk of the park complex and much of the surrounding national forest land is within federally designated wilderness areas. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail traverses the far southern corner of the park’s south unit.

The national park and Lake Chelan recreation area components of the complex are among the least-accessible and least-visited properties of the NPS system in the lower 48 U.S. states. No roads lead directly into either area, with the exception of one unpaved road that reaches the western side of the south unit of the national park. A paved east-west highway through the Skagit River valley between the two park units affords access to a network of trails—the only means of entering the park there—but the stretch of that road east of Ross Lake Dam that runs over a pass and exits the park complex is closed in winter. Stehekin is reached mainly via floatplane or ferryboat from Chelan at the south end of the lake or by private boat or trail. From there an unpaved road that follows the Stehekin River northward through the national recreation area to the southern boundary of the national park provides access to the trails in that area. Because much of the Ross Lake area lies along the east-west highway, the facilities there are more accessible, and the area has a high number of visitors.

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The visitor’s centre at Newhalem is open only seasonally (mid-spring to late autumn), but a second visitor’s centre at Stehekin operates year-round (though with limited hours in autumn and winter). Another seasonal facility is also maintained, at Marblemount just west of the park complex, to manage wilderness recreational use in the region. Nearly all visitors to the national park itself are either day hikers or on overnight backpacking or horse-packing trips. The rugged and varied terrain is popular with climbers, and trails that are accessible in winter attract cross-country skiers. Boating, canoeing, and kayaking are among the main activities on the two large lakes, as is rafting on the Skagit and Stehekin rivers. The NPS maintains developed campsites in the Skagit valley area and near Stehekin, and there is a primitive campsite near the north end of Ross Lake and several more throughout Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. In addition, privately owned lodging facilities are operated within the park complex at the south end of Ross Lake and in the Stehekin area.